All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know
by emerald-soco
Summary: You're in high school forever.  It's just what you do with it. Four years after graduation, a tragic loss brings Lucas and his friends back to Tree Hill.
1. All Of a Sudden, I Miss Everybody

So I haven't really kept up with OTH through the years, but I think I know enough about the 4th season finale to attempt writing how I'd like the 5th season to go. I think the big change I'm making is Karen's not pregnant, 'cause I thought that was lame. I'm not sure if Dan killed himself or not, but he might make an appearance later in my version. And I have no idea what they ever did to Whitey, but he's here (kind of)! Anything else should be explained and if not, just ask me!

Also - anyone who's read my OTH stories knows I'm kind of all about the Brooke/Nathan, so expect some changes in the pairings. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

**All Of a Sudden, I Miss Everybody**

There were long periods of time when Lucas didn't think about any of them.

Sure, there were days when he heard a fellow student's girlish giggle and thought of Brooke; moments when he wrapped his own hands around a basketball and wondered what his brother was up to. Two and a half minutes at a time when an old punk rock song shuffled its way onto his iPod screen and he remembered the brightness of Peyton's hair; how it always seemed at odds with the sadness in her eyes.

But for the most part, Lucas Scott had moved on.

He knew, of course, that most people wouldn't believe him. He'd written an entire book based on those pivotal friendships, after all. A person with a healthy understanding of how the past should stay past didn't pen novels centering around events from what seemed like another lifetime. They didn't dedicate said novels to friends who had grown up and somehow turned into strangers.

"Lucas?" On the other end of the line, Nathan cleared his throat. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I heard." He shook his head to clear it, tightened his grip on the phone. "When ... when did it happen?"

"Just last night. You're the first person I called. I figured ..." Nathan trailed off, unsure of what else he could say. "I always felt like he was more of a father to me than Dan. I just - I know you felt the same way."

"I did." He didn't like the past tense; how the words seemed to sting as they left his lips. "I ... I didn't even know he was in the hospital."

"Neither did we." A long pause, followed by a noise that was either Nathan sighing or static creeping across their connection. "But that was Whitey, you know? Stubborn. He didn't want anyone to worry."

"Sounds like him," Lucas murmured. How long had it been since he'd last spoken to his former coach? He always telephoned at Christmas, and again in late February to wish the older man a happy birthday, but they were short, perfunctory calls - the kind where he proofread a paragraph or filled in a crossword while talking.

"Luke." Nathan's voice had risen a notch, bringing him back to reality again. "Are you listening? Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

"Make what?"

"The funeral." The exasperation in his tone made it clear that Nathan was repeating himself. "It's on Saturday. It'd be really great if you could come."

Lucas was quiet again. "I ... I don't know."

"Come on, man. Don't you think it's time?"

He considered. It had been four years since he'd left Tree Hill. A last minute scholarship from the University of Illinois had taken him halfway across the country; away from the town he had finally learned to call home. It turned out Chicago suited him - the anonymity of a larger city; the idea of sitting all day in a coffee shop, hunched over a notebook, and not knowing anyone who entered.

He wondered if Brooke and Peyton still met for brunch every Sunday morning; if Brooke's laugh was as throaty and Peyton's mouth as thin. He thought of how much Nathan and Haley's little boy had probably grown; of how tired his mother had looked last time he'd visited.

"Maybe," he allowed, as his mind came full circle back to Whitey - if he'd been lonely in his dying hours, or scared, or (most likely) just the way Lucas had always seen him; stalwart and quiet and fiercely determined. "Maybe it is."

XXX

It wasn't a particularly long flight from Chicago to Charleston, but as soon as he'd stepped off the plane, Lucas felt like several years had blinked by. Only instead of flashing forward, he'd gone back in time. He was sixteen again; a son cast aside by his father; a loner in love with a girl who barely knew his name.

"Lucas? Earth to Lucas?" In the passenger seat, Katie reached to turn the radio down and peered curiously at him. "You awake? 'Cause I would prefer you to be awake."

"Sorry." He shook himself out of his musings, working up a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just ... detour down memory lane, I guess."

His girlfriend smiled back and laced her fingers with his on the gearshift. "Is it weird to be back?"

"Weird?" To be driving an unfamiliar rental car down the streets he'd grown up on; to pass the high school that had forged such huge pieces of who he was today? "Yeah, you could say that."

"I'm so excited to finally be meeting your mother," Katie continued, shaking her red hair away from her face. "You did tell her you were bringing a guest, right? Because I swear to God, Lucas, if you're springing me on her ..."

She trailed off, but he'd experienced enough of her Irish temper to know she was capable of some very inventive threats. "I told her, I told her," he assured her, turning his palm upwards to squeeze hers. "She can't wait to meet you."

Katie returned the pressure. "I'm kind of nervous."

"Don't be," he said. "She's going to love you. Just like I do."

Her face lit up, reminding him again just why he'd fallen for her. The first time they'd met, she'd been dressed like a librarian and badgering him for an interview for the school paper. _The athlete/author angle would really interest our readers, _she'd told him, eyes serious behind a pair of tortoise-shell rimmed glasses.

He'd refused, at first. It had been midway through their junior year and he'd just published _The Games That Play Us_. People in his classes were starting to notice him; fans coming up to ask questions wherever he went. He hadn't wanted to draw anymore attention to himself.

Katie had persisted, though. And when he'd finally agreed, the smile she'd given him had been so unexpected - wide and dimpled - and she'd laughed, just a little, as if she'd known all along he'd say yes. And he'd been hooked ever since.

"Oh, is this it?" Katie asked now, sitting up straighter as the car slowed. "Is this your house?"

"Yes." Having pulled into the driveway, Lucas took a moment to study the familiar frame. The shrubs needed to be trimmed and it could have used a fresh coat of paint, but it still felt the same. "This is it."

XXX

Karen was waiting, of course.

"Oh, my boy," were the first words out of her mouth. There were already tears welling in her eyes, but to her credit, she was battling them back. "Lucas. I can't believe it. Look at you."

"Look at _you_," he returned, enfolding her in his arms. He'd always been taller, but he could see now the grays in her hair, the slight hunching of her shoulders. "Have you been waiting at the window all morning?"

"Ever since Nathan told me you refused to let us pick you up at the airport," she sighed, the gentle reprimand inherent in her tone. "I don't know why you insisted on renting a car."

"Are you gonna yell at me like I'm ten years old again in front of our guest, Mom?" he asked jokingly, releasing her to sling one arm around Katie's shoulder. "You've been asking to meet her for months."

Karen took one look at the other woman and melted. "You're Katie O'Meara," she declared, stepping forward to hug her. "I've heard so much about you."

"Probably not as much as you'd have liked," Katie replied warmly, accepting the embrace. "If Lucas is as tight-lipped with you as he is with me, you must've been begging for details."

"I told you Katie's an aspiring journalist," Lucas reminded his mother as she led them both inside. "She asks more questions than you do."

"But I get just as few answers," Katie told her, and the two women shared a laugh as they settled down at the kitchen table.

Lucas had to smile at the sight of his mother and his girlfriend drinking coffee together, chatting like old friends. It was a cozy scene, though he couldn't help but think about the other girl who'd lived like a daughter with Karen.

Reading his mind as she always had, Karen chose that moment to meet his gaze across the table and ask, "Have you made plans to get together with everyone before the service, Luke?"

He hesitated. "I'm not ... really sure."

Karen raised a knowing eyebrow. "Well, I happen to know that Nathan's picking Brooke up at airport as we speak and they'll all be at the house later. They'd love to see you."

Lucas gave Katie a pointed glance. "You see how she did that? That suggestion thing that was really a command?"

"Don't look at me," Katie said, shaking her head. "I'm on her side."

"I knew I shouldn't have introduced you two," he groaned, throwing his hands up. "You've known my mother for five minutes, Katie, you can't be on her side."

She shrugged in response. "I am."

He glanced from her stern face to his mother's serene expression. "Haley said she'll have dinner ready around five. That gives you a little time to unpack, and then you'll want to hurry on over."

Patting his arm, she stood and began to clear the table, the conversation clearly finished. Defeated, Lucas let his head drop to rest on the smooth surface and mumbled, "Home, sweet home."


	2. The Birth and Death of Day

-1**The Birth and Death of Day**

James was always the first person awake in the morning, but today he was followed closely by his father. The sun had barely risen, alarm clock still blissfully silent, when Nathan rolled over, sighed, and got to his feet.

He moved carefully down the stairs, not wanting to disturb Haley. He understood, despite her accusations otherwise, how tired she was. Their life together had never been easy and in recent years had grown more complicated by the simple fact that they weren't as young and naive as they once had been.

"Morning, kiddo," Nathan yawned as he passed by his son, who had already staked out the living room for a prime cartoon-viewing seat. "Listen, I've gotta go and pick up Mommy's surprise. Are you gonna be quiet and let her sleep?"

"Yes."

The answer came so quickly that Nathan knew he hadn't even been heard. With a chuckle, he ruffled his son's hair. "At least give her until the end of Power Rangers, okay, buddy?"

It was a testament to how much his life had changed that he knew the Saturday morning cartoon lineup by heart. James' birth had been a kind of rebirth for Nathan as well; a chance to become the kind of father he'd never had. Standing in the hospital with his tiny little miracle of a son in his hands, he'd promised himself that he would be better, no matter what it took.

So instead of graduating high school and leaving Tree Hill behind, he had stayed. He took a coaching job - first, as Whitey's assistant and then as head of the entire department. He and Haley bought a small house near the elementary school and after a while, Nathan forgot he'd ever wanted anything more than the life they carved out for themselves.

Nowadays, he was in bed before ten and up at dawn to read the morning paper and keep his son occupied until Haley awoke. He drank more coffee than beer and drove a sensible car and caught himself saying things like, "Man, my back hurts" and "Can you believe these interest rates?"

He was all grown up. Twenty two, with a wife and kid and bills, and he still sometimes felt like he was just his same sixteen-year-old self, playing pretend.

He was glad that Lucas was coming back into town. Brooke, too, and Peyton, if Haley had managed to track her down and tell her the news. Now that Whitey was dead, it was like an era had ended with him. Nathan could hardly remember how it had felt to be in high school, to be surrounded by the people he'd loved.

With their reunion in mind, he kissed his son's head and hurried out to the car, wanting to beat the traffic and meet the plane on time.

XXX

To the untrained eye, Brooke Davis hadn't changed a bit.

She was still beautiful, that much was certain. She moved with the same careless grace; all long strides and swinging hips; as if she knew, always, where she was going and how to get there. Her brunette hair had grown longer, falling around her shoulders in artful angles, and her eyes gleamed the color of emeralds and envy.

A closer look might reveal dark circles under those eyes or a faint line of worry etched into her brow. But Brooke had learned a long time ago not to let anyone get too close.

Dropping out of college and moving to New York had been the best decision she'd ever made. She signed up for online courses in, of all things, business management, and took a bartending job at a popular downtown nightclub. Her tips went almost entirely towards sketchpads and colored pencils and she spent any spare time dreaming up outfits instead of buying them.

With a little luck and a hell of a lot of hard work, she had transformed her high school clothing line, Clothes Over Bros, into a veritable fashion empire. And now here she was, four years later, returning to her hometown for the first time as a successful businesswoman. She wondered if she would be as unrecognizable to her friends as she sometimes was to herself.

"Brooke!"

Apparently not. Brooke stopped and glanced around. She wasn't expecting anyone to pick her up, but there was no mistaking the familiar voice. "Nathan Scott!" She couldn't hide her surprise, but at least her enthusiasm was genuine. "What are you doing here?"

"That's the greeting I get?" he asked, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her. "After four years and me waking up at the crack of dawn to come get you, that's all you've got?"

She laughed and hugged him close. "I'm sorry, you're right. I was going to take a cab, but this is so much better! How are you? How's my godchild? Breaking hearts already, I bet."

"He's _four_," he protested, reaching to take her bag from her shoulder.

"He's _your _son," she countered with a grin.

His grin flashed. "Valid point."

Brooke chuckled again. "I can't believe you came out to get me, Nate. Seriously, it's so nice of you."

"Well, like I've always said, Brooke, it's not _all_ about you," he joked, grabbing her elbow to guide her through the parking lot. "I wanted to surprise Haley for her birthday, and let's face it, you're cheaper than jewelry."

She laughed, not offended in the least. They'd long ago established an easy humor with each other and sharing a laugh with an old friend gave her a warm, coming-home feeling. "Is _that_ what the bathroom walls say these days?" she retorted, flashing him a grin as he opened the passenger door for her.

"Whoa. Stop right there." Any and all traces of humor vanished from Nathan's face. Eyes serious, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her hand upward. "Brooke Davis. Are you kidding me?"

Flushing, she looked away from his intense gaze. "It's - new. I didn't want to - I just got here. I didn't want to make a big deal."

"You're engaged!" Chuckling, Nathan turned her hand to and fro, watching the diamond glitter in the sun. "Brooke, this is good news. You should be happy." He frowned, caught her chin with one finger and lifted her head. "Are you happy?"

Brooke thought of Jordan, back in New York and probably glaring at the phone as he waited for her check-in call. They'd been together for two years and he'd been sweet and charming for approximately six months. "Of course," she lied, nodding as if to convince herself. "Of course I am."

"Good." With one last, lingering look, Nathan released her so that she could climb into the car. "That's the most important thing."

She took the time as he went around to his seat to clear her throat and her mind. Once he was seated and the engine started, she asked, "So, Mr. Happiness-is-Everything, how're you and Haley doing?"

"We're fine," he said firmly. Sensing the dubious look she was giving him, he shrugged. "It gets tough sometimes. Money gets tight, tempers get short, you know."

She hesitated, not wanting to overstep her bounds. She had stayed in touch with the couple through phone calls and e-mails, and she knew that lately their financial troubles had been catching up to them. "If you ever need to borrow anything ..."

"Don't finish that sentence," Nathan interrupted. "You've earned every penny of that small fortune you're sitting on. It's just ... complicated right now. That's all."

Brooke nodded and decided to let the matter drop. After all, who was she to judge her friends' relationship? Her own was hardly a shining example. "Don't I know it," she said lightly, shrugging. "Hey. Do you have time to grab coffee before you drop me off?"

"Drop you off?" he repeated blankly.

"At the hotel," she replied.

"Hotel?" Nathan scoffed and turned the wheel, propelling them to the road that would lead them home. "You're in Tree Hill, Davis. You're _home_. Where else would you stay but with your family?"


	3. Ashes of Dreams You Let Die

-1Hey, guys, thanks for the reviews so far! Just wanted to say, one more chapter and everyone should be back, and then the story can actually get moving so stay tuned! As always, please review!

**Ashes of Dreams You Let Die**

Haley knew she had a life that most people only dreamed of.

She had graduated as valedictorian of her class and ridden off into the sunset with her high school sweetheart. Her husband still brought her daffodils, her favorite, on every anniversary and never forgot to drag the trash out to the curb. They both had steady jobs, a roof over their heads, and an amazing little boy with his father's athleticism and her own staunch loyalty.

But they'd sold her piano years ago three years ago in order to afford daycare for James and the songs she caught herself humming nowadays were never her own.

It was selfish, she knew, to cradle old dreams so close to her heart. To sing her beautiful little boy to sleep and wish he was a bigger audience. To run a hand through his hair and pretend there were ivory keys beneath her fingertips.

"Mom?" The object of her guilt-ridden thoughts tugged at her shirttail. "Mom, I'm _bored_. Can we go to the park?"

"As soon as I finish up the dishes, kiddo," she promised absently.

If she could hold him off just a little longer, she thought, maybe Nathan would return from his mystery errand and be able to take him. Haley dreaded going to the park and facing the horde of mothers who wanted nothing more out of life than swingsets and sandboxes. They always managed to make her feel like she was doing something wrong when she brought up movies that had recently come out or a fashion trend she wanted to follow.

"_When_, Mom?" James pressed, obviously frustrated with her casual brush-off. He wasn't spoiled by any means, but there were certainly times when she saw Nathan's stubborn streak coming through loud and clear. "Can't you finish later?"

The doorbell rang, saving her the trouble of delivering her patience-is-a-virtue lecture. "Just a minute," she called out, hurrying to dry her hands as James ran ahead. They weren't expecting company until later, but in a town as small as Tree Hill, neighbors often dropped by unannounced. Pasting a smile on and hoping her hair didn't look too bad, Haley swung the door open and froze.

Lucas smiled. "Hey, Hales. It's been awhile."

"Lucas." Her mouth formed the words, but her mind still didn't believe it. "Lucas, oh my God, you're here."

"Mom? Who's he?" When he didn't receive an answer, James' head swiveled around to stare at Lucas. "Who're you?"

"This is - this is your Uncle Luke, babe," Haley said, automatically reaching to smooth her son's hair. "He knew you when you were very little."

"Then what?" James asked suspiciously.

"Then I had to go away for a long time," Lucas supplied, crouching down to the boy's level. "But I'm back for a visit and I wanted to come see how big you've gotten."

The explanation seemed to satisfy James, as he puffed up and proudly reported, "I'm big. I'm the tallest in my whole class. Even Timmy Robbins, and he was taller last year."

"Wow." Lucas looked duly impressed. "I bet you'll be a pretty good basketball player one day."

"If his father has anything to say about it, then he will," Haley put in, then squeezed James' shoulder. "Honey, why don't you go play in the living room for a few minutes? I need to talk to Lucas in private and then we can go to the park."

When he was out of sight, Lucas straightened up and offered another smile. "He's great, Hales. Absolutely perfect."

"Yeah," she agreed faintly. "Yeah, he is. God, Lucas, I can't believe you're really here. I didn't think you'd come."

He shrugged, vaguely uncomfortable. "I figured it was time."

"You stayed away too long," she told him, with the same stern tone she'd always used to put him in his place, and then suddenly she was hugging him fiercely. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd be mad."

His chest rumbled with quiet laughter. "I've missed you, too. Let me look at you." Holding her at arm's length, his blue eyes traveled over her. "You're beautiful, Hales."

She flushed. "You're just saying that to get out of the doghouse. But I'll let it slide. Being a mom, it's not something I hear very often."

Lucas' eyes flickered imperceptibly. "So you and Nathan are -?"

"The same," she said with a note of finality. "But let's not talk about me, I'm bored with me. How are _you?_ What've you been doing these past four years, you big-time author? Where's the girl?"

"What girl?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't play coy with me, Scott. The girl you've mentioned in each of the few-and-far-between phone calls we've had in the past year." Usually, she thought, _after_ he'd inquired about Peyton and Brooke, but she wasn't going to point that out.

"Oh, _that_ girl." He nodded, feigning recognition. "Katie's bonding with my mother for the night. They wanted our reunion dinner to be just the five of us."

"Five?" Haley shook her head. "Just four, and that's only if Brooke ever calls me to tell me her plane landed safely."

He frowned. "Four?"

"You weren't the only one who didn't keep in touch," she informed him. "No one's heard from Peyton in ages."

XXX

After a brief catching-up session, Lucas volunteered to take James to the park while Haley got ready for the dinner party. Ecstatic to have the house to herself, she took an extra-long, extra-hot shower and took her time on her hair and makeup. As she descended the stairs, voices in the kitchen caught her ear.

"Luke?" she called out. "James? You guys are back already?"

A pause, then muffled laughter. "It's me, Hales," replied Nathan's familiar voice. "In the kitchen."

Brow furrowed in confusion, she moved in that direction, only to stop dead in the doorway. Seated beside her husband, casually sipping a Heineken, was none other than Brooke Davis.

"You know," the brunette said, smiling widely, "We're gonna have to change that nickname of yours. Tutor Wife just doesn't do justice to how hot you are."

"Now I'm doubly glad to see you," Haley laughed, holding out her arms. "Come here, Brooke. It's been too long."

"I know, I know." The other girl bounded across the room to meet her embrace. "I'm so glad to be back and see everyone again. But if me staying here is any kind of impos-"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Haley interrupted. "You're staying with us. James will be so excited. Prepare for plenty of knock-knock jokes."

"So?" Nathan came forward, sliding one arm around his wife's shoulders. "Were you surprised? How's this for an early birthday present?"

"It's perfect," Haley told him, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Exactly what I needed."

Brooke studied the couple, taking careful note of how forced their closeness seemed. The teenagers who had once been so in love that they couldn't wait to get married and start a life together now looked like bad actors in a play, unsure of their roles and reciting lines they didn't understand.

To break all of them out of their obvious discomfort, Brooke clapped her hands like the cheerleader she'd once been. "Well, as Nathan reminded me in the car, it's not _all_ about me, Hales. I am so glad to be back in Tree Hill and seeing the both of you, regardless of the circumstances. And James!" She glanced around for signs of the child. "Where's he hiding? I haven't seen him since his last birthday."

Haley licked her lips. "Oh, actually, he went down to the park for a little while."

Brooke frowned, looking back and forth between the parents. "With who?"

"Um." Haley and Nathan exchanged a glance. "With -"

"Hello?" Another voice called out, accompanied the sound of the front door slamming shut and little feet running towards them at full speed. "We're back."

"Aunt Brooke!" James yelled out, flinging himself into her waiting arms. "What did you bring me?"

"Brooke," said Lucas, pausing in the threshold to the kitchen. He regarded her seriously from that safe distance. "How've you been?"

"With Lucas, actually," Haley finished lamely. Flushing under Brooke's incredulous gaze, she shrugged. "He came back for the funeral."

"Well." The silence was palpable, the tension so thick that even James had quieted. Squaring her shoulders, Brooke flashed a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Guess I'm not the only surprise today."


	4. The Runaway Found

-1**The Runaway Found**

"So." Haley glanced around her suddenly overcrowded kitchen. "It's getting pretty late. Nate, do you want to drop James off at the sitter's?"

"That's a great idea," Nathan agreed instantly. "James, go grab your backpack."

"But I want to stay and have dinner," James protested.

"Not tonight, kiddo." He lifted his son easily, swinging him over his shoulders. "This is a grown-up party. We'll have dinner all together tomorrow night, okay?"

The rest of his complaints faded out as Nathan carried him down the hall. Left alone with her oddly quiet friends, Haley blew out a breath. "Well, I'm just gonna go ahead and get dinner started, so if you guys want to make yourselves comfortable in the living room, that'd be great."

Brooke made no move to exit. "You shouldn't have to do all the work, Hales, I'll help with dinner."

"Since when can you cook?" Lucas queried.

She shot him a hard look. "Since I moved to New York and got a job in a restaurant and made friends with the kitchen staff. But you would know that, had you kept in touch at _all _in the last four years."

"Brooke," Haley tried.

Lucas waved her off. "No, no, Hales, it's okay. She's pissed at me. I knew she would be."

"Oh, you knew it, huh?" The brunette barked out a laugh. "Because I'm so predictable, is that it? Or are you still entertaining the ridiculous idea that you know me?"

"Maybe I'll just go make _myself _comfortable in the living room," Haley muttered, though neither of them even glanced over as she made herself scarce.

"Look, Brooke, why don't you just say what you really mean?" Lucas suggested, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You're mad about the book."

"What book? The book you wrote that told the entire world every stupid, selfish thing I ever did in high school? _That _book?" Brooke's eyes flashed fire. "Because I just _loved _that book, Luke. I have twenty copies. I hand it out to everyone I meet, because, hell, reading that's a hell of a lot quicker than actually getting to know me."

"It wasn't just about you," he said quietly.

"No," she scoffed. "It never was, was it?"

With a sigh, Lucas drew out a chair and settled down. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I didn't mean to hurt you. When I was writing it, I never dreamt it would be published someday. It was just ... it was a way for me to understand everything that happened between us. All of us. That book, it wasn't about _you_. It was about _me _and how meeting all of you changed me and what that meant."

"And what did you discover?" Her voice had softened, albeit begrudgingly. "Did you figure out who Lucas Scott really is?"

"Well ... turns out he's a pretty good writer," he offered, with a wry twist of his lips. "But, no. I still don't know. It's crazy, isn't it? I spent four years of high school growing up and getting to know you guys and finding myself. And then I get to college and have to start all over again."

"Maybe that's your problem," Brooke pointed out, finally joining him at the table. "You like to get things perfectly arranged and then make them stay that way."

He smiled at her. "Is that so much to ask?"

She smiled back. "It was a good book, Lucas. Embarrassing and painful for me to read, but ... it was a good book."

He straightened up a little in his seat. "Thanks, Brooke, that means -"

"The thing is," she continued, "Those people you wrote about, they're all still around. Maybe a little different, maybe better or worse, but ... we're here." She shrugged. "We were just waiting for you to come back."

XXX

Nathan dropped James off at the neighbor's and made a quick stop at the liquor store. If things hadn't smoothed over by the time he got back, he figured it was nothing a six-pack couldn't cure.

Arriving home, he eased the door shut quietly and crept into the living room. "Did they call a cease-fire yet?"

Haley put a finger to her lips and jerked her head to the kitchen. Frowning, Nathan listened and heard faint laughter. "They're laughing," he reported. "That's a good sign, right?"

"Could be. I was waiting for you to check it out." Haley shook her head. "I didn't want to go in there alone."

He chuckled a little. "Well, I'm here now, I'll go first." Then he hesitated. "Listen, Hales -"

She seemed to know what he wanted to say. "Not now, Nate. Please."

He paused. "Right. Okay, then, let's get in there, I'm starving."

They entered to find Lucas and Brooke deep in conversation, with Brooke gesturing wildly and Lucas in a fit of laughter. Brooke spotted them first. "Hey, you two!" she said, interrupting her own story. "Where've you been? I was just telling Lucas about my first night as a waitress."

"I might have to write a book about it," the boy dead-panned, standing to greet them. "Nathan, man, you ran out of here so fast earlier. How're you doing?"

"I'm doing good," Nathan said, accepting his brother's hug. "It's good to see you, big brother. We've missed you around here."

"I've missed everyone, too." Lucas' gaze fell on Haley as she tinkered with the stove. "And I've definitely missed home-cooked meals. Is that my mother's recipe?"

"Only the best," Haley chirped, sliding the meatloaf into the oven. "Come on, everyone, sit down and have a drink while this cooks."

"A toast," Lucas proposed when they'd all settled around the table with wine glasses in hand. "To coming home."

"Cheers!"

The clinking glasses were drowned out by a sudden, loud buzzing noise. "The doorbell," Nathan said by way of explanation, as Haley hurried to answer. "But I don't know who it could be, we're not expecting anyone else."

"Peyton!" Haley gasped, her voice carrying back to the kitchen.

"Wow," Nathan remarked, as Brooke dropped her fork with a clatter and Lucas' eyes went wide as saucers. "Definitely didn't expect _that_."

Haley returned, tugging the blonde girl behind her. "Guys, Peyton made it! Come on, pull up a chair, let me grab you a drink. Are you hungry? What've you been up to? Do you need a place to stay?"

"Hales, let the girl breathe," Lucas instructed. Chastised, the girl sat down and busied herself making Peyton a plate. "Peyton. We're really glad you came."

Peyton smiled and reached out to hug her old friend. "Thanks, Luke. I didn't think I'd be able to get the time off work, but it worked out at the last minute. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else tomorrow but here with you guys."

"You got skinny, you bitch," Brooke declared, tossing her napkin at her friend. "I leave you alone in L.A. and you, what, go on the Zone diet? Not cool, P. Sawyer."

"No diet," she laughed, moving around the table to hug Brooke as well. "Just lots of seventy hour work weeks and no time for a social life."

"Who wouldn't known being L.A.'s hottest radio DJ would be so hard?" Nathan joked, grinning at his old girlfriend. "You look good, Peyt. You need a place to stay? We've got rooms here at the inn."

"No, no, I booked a hotel," she said, and before anyone could protest, added, "I can bill it to work, so I figured why not take advantage?"

"Taught her everything she knows," Brooke announced proudly and they all laughed together.

"We need another toast," Haley decided, lifting her glass again. "To reunions."

"To success," Lucas added, tipping his glass to Peyton.

"To happiness," she returned, waving hers at Nathan and Haley.

"To Whitey," proposed Nathan.

"And of course," Brooke added, clearing her throat. "To us."


End file.
